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A lot of pro-environmental messages suggest that people will feel guilty if they don’t make an effort to live more sustainably or takes steps to ameliorate climate change. But a recent study from Princeton University finds that highlighting the pride people will feel if they take such actions may be a better way to change environmental behaviors. Elke U. Weber, …

Excerpt from the NYTimes, Feb 2018, by Stephanie Coontz In 1960, Americans were married for an average of 29 of the 37 years between the ages of 18 and 55. That’s almost 80 percent of what was then regarded as the prime of life. By 2015, the average had dropped to only 18 years. In many ways, that’s good news for …

Last week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a handbook to help its members better communicate the findings of a new IPCC report, due out later this year. The handbook, based on the science of science communication, lays out six principles that scientists can use to explain the complexities of climate science. These tips include “connect with what matters to your …

The urge to belong is universal. So would a better understanding of it help tackle loneliness – and explain why stalkers, spree killers and jihadists turn their pain on others? Leo Benedictus in The Guardian Mon 5 Feb 2018 Mental health. Illustrations by Nishant Choksi There is a famous Jewish mother joke. You’ve heard it before. Question: How many Jewish mothers does it …

The complex systems of the natural world can open our eyes to a new way of being. Adrienne Maree Brown posted Feb 01, 2018 in Yes! Magazine “If we are in rhythm with nature, we are in rhythm with ourselves.” —Micah Hobbes Frazier If we pay close attention, we can experience the wonder that emerges from the beauty, magic, miracles and …

“All of us have to learn how to invent our lives, make them up, imagine them. We need to be taught these skills; we need guides to show us how. If we don’t, our lives get made up for us by other people.” —Ursula K. Le Guin, The Wave in the Mind, 2004. “If you can see a thing whole,” he …

Excerpt from an interview with Jordan Peterson – Don’t focus on happiness https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/jan/21/jordan-peterson-self-help-author-12-steps-interview if we are all monsters, how are we to be saved? The first thing is to understand how our worldview evolves. Crucial to this is a 20-year-old experiment on inattention – the famous Invisible Gorilla experiment. This involved recording two teams of basketball players and playing back the game …

Our brains naturally compel us to adopt the commonly held ideas of our communities… January 2018, Nick Cassella, Excerpt from, “Why Do We Excuse the Extremes of Capitalism” Joseph Henrich, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, argues that humans are uniquely talented at mimicking the actions and ideas of others. Our brains naturally compel us to adopt the commonly held ideas of …

What led to success was strong social bonds — relationships that would encourage people to cooperate and lend support to one another, which helped to ensure that their sacrifices would be returned time and again when required in the future. But to establish and maintain relationships, people would have had to be fair, honest, generous, diligent and loyal. They would have …

From Curbed, by Lauren Ro, 13 Oct 2017. Below this article is one on who drivers are stopping for and not. Starling Crossing puts pedestrians first. Photos via Dezeen A slew of innovative solutions for roadways has emerged this past year, from solar panel-paved roads to an artificial intelligence-powered program that automatically monitors road conditions. Now another high-tech project can be added to that list. London-based Umbrellium, an urban …